Please note that the information provided here is for reference purposes only. Ensure you verify any related information directly from the official resource to avoid any misinformation or understandings: https://www.mct.gov.cn/

Visa-Free Transit Policies for Foreign Nationals

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Passport requirement

Visitors must present their original passport with at least six months’ remaining validity and at least two blank pages for the visa.

How to get a Chinese visa

  • Do you need a visa for China?

The first thing to do is to check whether you need a visa to visit China. You will generally need to apply for a Chinese visa unless you meet the criteria of one of China’s visa-free policies.

For example, if you are travelling through China, you may be able to take advantage of the 72- or 144-hour visa-free transit policy.

  • Find out which visa you need

China offers a number of different visas, and you’ll need to choose the one that applies to your situation. If you’re planning to go on holiday to China, apply for a Tourist Visa (L Visa).

  • Prepare the required documents

The following documents are usually required as part of the visa application.

Basic documents:

  1. A valid passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months when you enter China.
  2. A completed visa application form and a recent passport-sized photograph.
  3. Proof of legal residence (for applicants not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship).

Additional documents:

  1. Details of your planned visit (including arrival and departure dates, itinerary, accommodation arrangements, and so on)
  2. Evidence of your flight reservation (round-trip) and hotel reservations.
  3. An invitation letter issued by a Chinese travel agency (or another authorized organization) or an individual in China.

If necessary, the Chinese embassy, consulate or visa centre may require more additional documents.

  • Where to submit your application

In many countries, you need to apply for your visa at your local Chinese Visa Application Service Centre via the website https://www.visaforchina.org/. Fill in your application online at this website and then make an appointment to submit the application at the centre. You should submit your application at least four weeks in advance of your planned arrival date.

If there is no visa centre covering your area, you can go to the relevant Chinese embassy or consulate in your country. Please go in person or ask an agent to handle it on your behalf.

Starting from 2018, visa applicants from more and more countries have to make their visa application in person and have their fingerprints collected.

  • Collecting your visa

Once your visa is approved, you will generally have to return to the centre and pay the visa fee to collect your passport and visa.

Invitation Letters

The invitation letter is one of the main supporting documents you need to submit when applying for a visa at the Chinese embassy or consulate. The letter serves to explain your reasons for travelling to China and provides details of the planned visit. The invitation letter should be issued by a Chinese travel agency, company, or educational institution in China. Generally speaking, the invitation letter should include the details of the applicant, inviting party, and the invitation content.

China Visa-Free Transit Policies

  • Visa-Free Transit Policies for Foreign Nationals

In line with global norms, China has implemented a 24-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from all other countries around the world at all its accessible exit-entry ports. Foreign nationals holding valid international travel documents and connecting tickets with confirmed seats, who intend to transit via China by international flights, ships, or trains to third countries or regions, are exempt from visa applications, provided that their stay periods in China will not exceed 24 hours and that they will remain within the corresponding ports. Those who plan to leave the ports must apply for temporary entry permits at the exit-entry border inspection authorities of the corresponding ports.

  • Eligible countries and regions

Currently, 38 exit-entry ports in 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government of China have implemented the 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from 54 countries.

25 European Schengen countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

15 other European countries: Russia, Great Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, and Monaco.

6 American countries: The United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.

2 Oceanian countries: Australia and New Zealand.

6 Asian countries: The Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

The list of the ports in cities where the 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit policies are in effect is stated below.

Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals

The major regional visa-free entry policies for foreign nationals in China are as follows.

  • 144-Hour Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Traveling from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) to Guangdong Province.

Citizens holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations with China may enter nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, along with Shantou, without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Guangdong Province as part of their tourist groups organized by the travel agencies registered in any of the two SARs. The permitted stay areas for these tourists include Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the Chinese mainland with their tourist groups via the exit-entry ports in these ten cities, and can stay for a maximum of 144 hours.

  • Visa-Free Entry Policy for Tourist Groups Entering Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from ASEAN Member States.

Any tourist group consisting of two or more persons from any of the member states (i.e. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through the airport in Guilin without a visa, provided that the tourist group is organized and received by a local travel agency in China and all the members of the tourist group hold ordinary passports. The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China with their tour groups, and can stay within the administrative region of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for a maximum of 144 hours.

  • Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Traveling by Cruise Ships.

Any foreign tourist group consisting of two or more individuals, which is organized and received by a Chinese travel agency, may enter China without a visa by a cruise ship via one of the cruise ports in the following 13 cities: Beihai (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Dalian (Liaoning Province), Guangzhou (Guangdong Province), Haikou (Hainan Province), Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Sanya (Hainan Province), Shanghai, Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Tianjin, Wenzhou (Zhejiang Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province) and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province). Foreign tourist groups shall continue their journey to the next scheduled ports and depart China with the same cruise ship as scheduled. The tourists concerned are permitted to travel within Beijing and 11 coastal provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, namely Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Zhejiang. Additionally, tourists covered by this policy may stay in China for a maximum of 15 days.

  • 30-Day Visa-Free Entry Policy for Hainan Province for Foreign Citizens of 59 Countries.

Citizens holding ordinary passports from 59 countries may enter and stay within the administrative region of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days without a visa for short-term stays for tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, sports competitions, etc. The policy does not apply to those who intend to enter for working or studying. The exit-entry ports for the foreign nationals concerned include all the open ports in Hainan. The 59 countries are Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

  • 144-Hour Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Entering Hainan Province from Hong Kong and Macao SARs.

Citizens holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations with China can enter Hainan Province from Hong Kong or Macao SAR and stay for no more than 144 hours within the administrative region of the province for tourism purposes in a tourist group without a visa, provided that the tourist group consist of at least two persons and is organized by a travel agency legally registered in Hong Kong or Macao SAR. The foreign nationals covered by this policy must enter and exit with their tourist groups, while the exit-entry ports for them include all the open ports in Hainan.

The stay period specified in any of the aforementioned policies begins at 0:00 on the day after the day of entry. For the individuals who meet the requirements specified in the bilateral visa exemption agreements with China and those covered by the unilateral visa exemption policies of China, the relevant regulations shall prevail.

Foreign nationals from these countries holding valid international travel documents and connecting tickets with information on confirmed dates and seats for transit via China to third countries or regions within specified time frames can apply for visa-free transits at the exit-entry border inspection authorities of the ports in the cities where the visa-free transit policies are in effect. The exit-entry border inspection authorities will then process their applications and grant temporary entry to the eligible foreign nationals. The duration of stay for each foreign national starts from 0:00 on the day following the day of entry.

For details, see the National Immigration Administration: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n182/n285/n20208/n26006/c38080/content.html